Only 5 female drunk drivers caught in 2012!

Of 21,600 drunken drivers nabbed in Delhi, five were women. Are women really responsible drivers?

This year, 21,600 people have been challaned so far by the Delhi Traffic Police for drunken driving. However, out of them, only five were women - and no, it's not a typing error. Satyendra Garg, Joint CP, Delhi Traffic Police, told us, "This year, we've challaned an alarming 21,600 people, out of which five cases were that of drunk women drivers."

Could that be because cops are reluctant to stop a woman driver at night? "As standard procedure, we have a female constable with us every time we carry out a drive against drunk drivers, but so far, we have not had any bad experience with a female driver. They are either sober or let someone else drive them home," says Garg.

Some might argue that cops are softer on women and let them off easily. Are they more responsible behind the wheel, or just luckier than men?

Luck by chance "My work demands that I stay in office till late at night. I'm never sure when I'll get off, so calling a cab isn't an option and public transport isn't really available at 1 or 2am.

Sometimes, I go out drinking post work, but even then, hiring a cab is not an option. I don't trust cabbies. So, I prefer to drive back even if I'm slightly tipsy," says Swati Malik, 24, a freelance writer. She says she hasn't been caught even once. "I've been lucky to have gotten away with it. Cops have never stopped me late at night or even otherwise. I'm assuming they don't stop girls after 6pm," Swati says.

Girls are just smart While the cops dismiss the theory of being soft on women drivers, they do admit that handling a tipsy woman can sometimes get tricky. A police official in Mehrauli, who's been handling drunken drivers in the area, says, "Women are usually accompanied by a male when they are driving late, or they have two-three friends travelling along. We don't see many drunken women drivers late at night, but that could probably be because they are smart enough to avoid cops by taking a different route."

Ritu Gupta*, 25, who works with an MNC, says, "It is because of work that I have to drive late at night. The office cab system is such that we get cabs every hour, and then there are a lot of people who get dropped before me, so I prefer to use my own vehicle. But when it comes to partying, I usually have a friend drop me if I'm drunk, and I've never faced any problem with cops. I think that's because girls drive sensibly and seldom break rules."

No drive, no risk While some girls are pretty cool about taking out the car after a night of partying, there are an equal number who vouch against late-night driving. "I never drive late at night. It is too risky in Delhi. There is always the fear of some random guy tailing you, and I fear I might get raped," says Kamini*, 26.

For some women, it's worse. They have their parents or brothers following them. "When I was working, I had to leave at odd hours from work. My parents would come in their car and tail me. If they were not able to come for some reason, my brother would fulfill this duty. When I'm out partying, my friends and I have a pact that one from the group will remain sober and drop everyone home," says Ritu*.